Minimum Price for Alcohol: a Measure That’s Saving Lives

By imposing minimum pricing for alcohol, the government of Scotland, the United Kingdom, has effectively reduced the number of deaths and hospitalizations linked to alcohol consumption, a sign that the policy helps the population, mainly in socioeconomically deprived areas.

“Minimum unit pricing was introduced to save lives, and this latest report shows it is doing just that,” explains Dr. Alastair MacGilchrist from the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems.

The minimum unit pricing (MUP) policy was introduced in 2018 with the imposition of a minimum fee of 50p ($0.63) per unit of alcohol. The reality has been examined before the policy’s implementation – from January 2012 to April 2018 – and after, for a total of 32 months. A recent study shows that MUP is linked to a 13.4% drop in the number of deaths – 150 fewer every year, on average – from alcohol consumption and a 4.1% reduction in hospitalization for conditions related to alcohol consumption, preventing 411 people from ending up in hospitals every year, on average. “The results published today are therefore very encouraging in addressing this inequality, and the overall scale of preventable harm which affects far too many people,” states Dr. Grant Wyper, a public health intelligence adviser at Public Health Scotland.